In September, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, together with other federal agencies, announced proposed changes to the rules governing human subjects research. This Commentary discusses how the proposals would affect research using biospecimens that is essential to the future success of precision medicine. We argue that the proposed changes unnecessarily burden such research, without meaningfully advancing the interests of donors. They should be revised before being finalized.
Keywords: biospecimens; common rule; consent; human subjects protection; privacy; regulation.